Juan Soto named finalist for Hank Aaron Award originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
On the heels of his most impressive season yet, Nationals outfielder Juan Soto was named one of seven finalists for the NL Hank Aaron Award. The award is bestowed annually to the top offensive performer in each league as a nod to the contributions of late Hall of Famer and former home run king Hank Aaron.
The Hank Aaron Award is awarded annually to the best overall offensive performer in each league.
Thus… Juan Soto.
VOTE // https://t.co/M4JxtcYgeu pic.twitter.com/oZ0Te4PFrw
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) October 8, 2021
Soto, 22, led the majors with a .465 on-base percentage as he paced the Nationals in hits (157), home runs (29), walks (145), runs (111) and RBI (95). He was an All-Star for the first time this season and participated in the Home Run Derby. With a .999 OPS that ranked second in the NL, Soto is expected to be among the finalists for NL MVP as well.
In addition to Soto, Major League Baseball also named Fernando Tatís Jr., Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos, Brandon Crawford, Freddie Freeman and Paul Goldschmidt as finalists for the NL honor. In the AL, Shohei Ohtani, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Aaron Judge, Cedric Mullins, Matt Olson, Salvador Perez and José Ramírez are in contention.
The winner for each league will be determined by a panel of Hall of Famers in conjunction with the results of a fan vote. Washington last had a player win the award in 2015 when Bryce Harper took the honor on his way to winning NL MVP.
